90 ACCESSIBLE FIELD SPORTS. 



slut leading and the dog just at her shoulder, backing. 

 It was perfectly evident that we had found the retreat 

 of the prairie chickens : water or solitude had un- 

 doubtedly caused them to assemble here. The prairie 

 fowl, although partial, at some seasons and portion of 

 the day, to damp ground, I believe do not drink like 

 the majority of other birds, but simply pick off the 

 minute globules of dew that adhere to the grasses. 

 This I know from my own personal observation, and 

 accounts for the difficulty of keeping this species alive 

 in a state of captivity. The majority of persons 

 having them in confinement would undoubtedly place 

 a cup of water in their cages, little imagining that 

 scattering the moisture over some grass would be 

 the way most acceptable. 



Soon we got to the dogs, and never in the course of 

 my experience did I see a sharper half hour's work. 

 Bird after bird rose, and was knocked over ; scarcely 

 had we time to thrust into the breeches fresh cartridges 

 before we were called upon to deliver our fire ; not less 

 than a hundred and fifty birds must have been flushed in 

 that space of time, out of which number nearly half fell 

 to our guns. At one moment, over twenty were on the 

 ground, waiting to be picked up ; and, better than all, 

 we did not lose a single cripple, although one old cock, 

 which had only been pinioned, cost us five minutes before 



